RIDE HONORS BOYS’ MEMORY

Purpose of 825-mile journey was to raise awareness of safety

San Diego 
More than three weeks ago Ayla Stargill, 23, and her boyfriend, Daniel Welcome, 25, got on their bicycles in Medford, Ore., and started riding south with two little San Diego boys on their minds.

Thursday afternoon, 23 days later, their trip ended near the Mexican border.

One of the reasons they made the 825-mile journey was to raise awareness about bicycle safety and the nonprofit Jonathan Sellers & Charlie Keever Foundation.

Jonathan and Charlie were young boys who were riding their bikes along the banks of the Otay River in 1993 when they were abducted and killed by a sexual predator. The foundation, established just last year by Jonathan’s mother, Milena Sellers Phillips, is devoted to teaching kids about bike and personal safety.

Stargill said Thursday she heard about the foundation from her mother, who owns a boutique in Fallbrook, which is where Sellers Phillips now lives and operates a thrift store. Stargill and Sellers Phillips started communicating over the Internet and the idea was born.

“She gave us T-shirts and wristbands, which we’ve been wearing all along the ride,” Stargill said.